As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[soapfan770]

I remember it being a big deal when ATWT reunited the entire Snyder family for Thanksgiving 1994, and that was Caso's last year sadly. After that, ATWT returns for brief appearances became fewer and farther between. I remember when Lisa Brown came back as Iva for Rose's funeral in 2003 she barely had any lines.

Good point about Schultz although she did come back in 1986 for the 30th Anniversary, was she married to Larry Bryggman still in '91? I've heard the feud between Schultz and CZP caused Ariane Munker a.k.a Ariana Chase to quit. How long was Jordan Baker in the role of Betsy in '94? I don't remember it really, other than Dani later becoming a pathological liar with Jeremy, Nikki, and Ryder. I always thought Betsy should have been around in the 90s as Emily's sister.

Well I wonder these days now with ATWT off the air and her own career dead in the water I wonder how Ryan feels about it now. Same goes to Brian Bloom who royally dissed the show way back. My props to Julianne Moore to always being a ATWT supporter

[DRW50]

I didn't know that's what caused Munker to leave. I had wondered if she was fired. I wish they had just let her leave town, because a sister to Barbara and niece to Kim, talk about years of story material!

I would guess Ryan and Bloom probably still don't want to be known for their soap work. As you mentioned, Moore has always been gracious. I saw an interview with her in a late 91 Digest, when her career was just starting to find steam, and she talked fondly about ATWT, mentioned that she was still very close to Finn Carter and Steven Weber and stayed with them when she had to go to LA (I wonder if they're still close), and said she had worked with Mary Ellen Stuart in a play and thought she was warm and wonderfully talented and had called to congratulate her on getting the role of Frannie.

I do wonder about Parker Posey and Kevin Gibson, as I never hear them talk about their soap runs, but maybe I wasn't looking.

Thanks for reading. I have some other ATWT stuff too if you are interested in any of it, let me know and I'll put more up. The ATWT tribute thread I put a lot in but it's still a bit tough adjusting to ATWT being officially gone.

Was that without Ellie?

[DRW50]

Jordan was around very briefly. A month? Or less. She came in to introduce Dani. I wonder if she had any scenes with Craig at this time.

I think Betsy was the type of heroine ATWT probably stopped knowing how to write by the 90s, a good, supportive, yet strong heroine.

They should have brought Betsy back in the last few years if they were serious about "redeeming" Craig. Sadly I wonder if anyone in charge of ATWT in the last 12-13 years even knew who she was.

[soapfan770]

Please feel free to post more stuff Carl between new computers, accusations of hoarding, and feeling silly for having a bunch of "useless old" soap stuff I've pretty much discarded a lot of what I had from the 90s several years ago only to be kicking myself today for not keeping. Heh it was only in 2003 when I accidentally a taped an episode of Passions over a 1994 Y&R episode I quickly started to discover and preserve any old soap episodes I had in the numerous boxes of VHS tapes.

Regarding Munker someone on the old WOST website and posted a circa 1980 article regarding her exit and it blamed her getting stuck between "two feuding actresses" if I recall right. I wonder how Munker/Chase was on ATWT, she had a lengthy daytime career and I've seen a 1976 AW ep and a 1987 GL with her it, and of course I pretty much watched her for her full run as the last Kimberly recast on Days, perhaps her most notable daytime role.

As for Ellie Snyder, I don't believe the show ever brought her back, though probably not without reason. The abortion story Marland wrote may have read brilliant on paper, but after re-watching it was painful and way too dark to watch. Worse is I didn't remember that those scenes aired in the SAME episode that Daryl flew out the window and an amnesiac Holden went to the farm--and Lily for the first time since losing his memory. Talk about a downer of an episode! I think it was an indirect character assassination for Ellie I don't think Marland intended for either.

[DRW50]

I have a lot of soap stuff from the last 15 years, but sadly most of that was from when I was already angry at ATWT and never regained the love I felt for it in the early 90s. I still remember one of the first SODs I bought talking about things to be positive for with soaps and one of them was that ATWT had dumped a ton of cast members (Duncan/Shannon/Andy/Julie/et al). I was very annoyed. And of course they paved the way for some classic characters such as...

I lost interest in soaps for a while over the last decade and the soap magazines went to crap anyway but this board helped me get back into them and read my old stuff again, as well as look into older stuff that is out there. I'm glad that other people are enjoying these too. I feel like it helps to keep these shows alive, in some way, and also it helps to fill in a lot of blanks for me when other people talk about memories or information the photos bring up. And since ATWT had so many longstanding characters that a lot of the faces of the past have ties to the present, unlike say GH where you will often see a ton of strangers staring at you.

I had forgotten that Munker played Kimberly. Was she any good? It's a shame that since ATWT loved to bring some back from the dead they never considered bringing Melinda back. Imagine the story for Kim and Barbara.

I know what you mean about wishing I'd kept some tapes. I used to tape ATWT every day in the early 90s and then reuse the tapes. I regret that now, but of course did not realize at the time. I do have a few tapes, and if I find them and ever figure out how to upload on Youtube will share them.

That ATWT episode does seem very dark. I wonder how fans at the time felt.

It's surprising to me sometimes to remember just how highly rated ATWT still was by 1993. I think ATWT generally was a show which managed to fly high without ever getting any recognition for ratings or buzz or any of that. It's just a shame that so many worked so hard to kill the show. I hope they're proud...

[Soapsuds]

Yup...ranked in the top 5....but no one gave a damn to save this show

1993-1994

1. The Young And The Restless 8.6

2. All My Children 6.6

3. General Hospital 6.2

4. The Bold And The Beautiful 6.1

5. As The World Turns 5.8

6. One Life To Live 5.6

6. Days Of Our Lives 5.6

8. Guiding Light 5.4

9. Another World 3.5

10. Loving 2.7

[soapfan770]

I seem to recall the show did get some backlash at the time for being too depressing particularly because both Holden's amnesia and Ellie's abortion came on the heels of Margo's rape amongst other things. Not mention the neverending Carolyn Crawford murder mystery became an albatross for the show, who'd guess that is was the mousy Vicki Harper who ordered Carolyn to be murdered? ATWT was a great show really 1992-1995 I remember as a kid following both the Linc Lafferty and Neal murder mysteries and fleeing the room when Hans started sawing off Lily's wedding ring from her own finger

Aside from the late 70s, late 90s, and of course late 00s ATWT usually had good and solid ratings. Whether we like it or not the Sheffer years did have ATWT as a top 5 show, I still remember back in 2003 when the show was consecutively in third or fourth place while GL was stuck at #8.

Munker on Days? I thought she did okay as Kimberly, she came on with the whole multiple personality story still going there at the end of '92 and became engaged to the doctor guy. Unlike Howard, Chase never had scenes with Shaughnessy as he was long gone by this point. They had Kim get involved in the John/Marlena/Roman story when she discovered Marlena was doing paternity tests but decided to keep her knowledge of Marlena's a secret, something that didn't get played out further because Kim and the doctor were written out by fall of '93 by moving away and of course Pease came back in '94 for Tom Horton's funeral.

[DRW50]

I remember how surprised I was to learn that Donna Wandrey, famous mostly for her wooden but striking performances as Roxanne Drew on Dark Shadows, was Barbara Ryan on ATWT. I just could not picture her as Barbara, even if this was more of an ingenue Barbara. Anyway, even if I am unlikely to ever see her onscreen, this is closer than I expected. She had an interview and a cover of June 1972 Afternoon TV (Roband Publications, Inc). She looks a little Diane Keaton-ish, don't you think? She had flaming red hair on DS.

[DRW50]

[DRW50]

[SFK]

Wait, so that was barbara before CZP? I didn't realize that she was a recast (save your "duhs!", I wasn't an ATWT viewer ).

[DRW50]

Yes, this was the first Barbara, she was on for about a year or two and then Barbara was not seen until Colleen arrived in 1978.

My first soap that I sought more information about was Dark Shadows, so I knew the names of most of the cast. I will never forget reading the ATWT history book and being shocked that there was another Barbara, and that she had played Roxanne Drew.

What I can never remember is if this was the Barbara/Tom story or if Colleen's Barbara was also with Tom (I don't mean when she went after him in late 85, I mean the wedding story). Did they do this twice? For some reason I thought she jilted him for James.

Edited November 27, 2010 by CarlD2

[Paul Raven]

I think Barbara's departure coincided with Irna Phillips return to ATWT in early 72.Irna set about revamping the show ,with mixed results. It seems Barbara and Rick were casualties,for whatever reason. Bringing them on seemed a smart move in bolstering the younger set who had ties to the core but it seems Irna didn't see it that way.

Also,Judi Rollins and Barbara Stanger played Barbara prior to Donna,but maybe they were brief recurring type things.

History shows that her changes were not popular ratings or storywise and she was fired at the end of 72.

The Tom/Barbara match up must have beenshortlived.Tom had been involved with Meredith Halliday and I believe Carol had been written off,although this is not mentioned in many references.I think Irna dumped Meredith and Simon(her guardian turned lover)clearing the way for Tom and Carol to be wed in July 72.

Barbara may have been a spoler in Tom/Meredith or a brief obstacle for Tom/Carol.The magazine was dated June 72,so was probably on the stands in May and reflected what was happening a few months previous.It's a pity these articles don't deal with storylines but i guess there was areason in that lead times meant they could not provide current information.

Did these 60's/70's mags sometimes print stories about actors or characters who were off the show by the time they were on sale ?

When Barbara returned in 78 she was involved with Steve Farrell (played by Phil Peters,at the time husband to Lenore Kasdorf (Rita GL) he dumped her on the night of their engagement party.I think there was an involvement with Tom at this time which was rekindled around the time James Stenbeck turned up.

[DRW50]

I didn't know that two other women had played Barbara. Barbara Stranger went on to quite a long career didn't she? I don't know a lot about Judi Rollins.

I think that the magazines at this time did put some stories out and by the time they were published the stories were done or had been changed, since there was a several month gap.

How long was Carol gone? I never realized Irna (?) had fired her until I read that in one of these magazines.

This is from the January 1972 TV Dawn to Dusk.

Jerry, who instantly became one of daytime's biggest heartthrobs as Simon Gilbey on As the World Turns, has been written off the show.

(then they talk some about the movie version of Play It Again Sam)

Also gone from the cast of As the World Turns are Nina Hart (Meredith), Rita McLaughlin (Carol Demming) and Phoebe Dorin (Penny).

[Paul Raven]

Thanks for that Carl.I have read reports from that time that Irna was back in Jan 72, and those departures you listed would have happened late in 71,before her return.

She obviously liked Carol (did she create that character before her departure?)

Timelines from the early 70's are hard to find but it seems Irna married Bob and Jennifer,divorced Dan and Susan and Paul and Liz and had Susan marry Bruce.

Geraldine Court had been playing Jennifer.I wonder whether Irna was resonsible for Gillian Spence assuming the role.

She also created the character of Kim.